Gavin Flower wins EAA scholarship
December 21, 2011

By Ashley Glaza

 

EAA president Nevin Miller (left) congratulates this year's EAA Aviation Scholarship winner, Gavin Flower.
Remember those delicious huckleberry pancake breakfast at the airport this summer? Your donations from those events were deposited into the Youth Aviation Scholarship Fund sponsored by the local pilot group, EAA chapter 757. In all there were eight, very eligible applicants from Boundary County that applied for the $2,500 award that will see the scholarship winner though grounds school and flight training to the first solo flight.

 

This year the local EAA Chapter 757 is proud to announce Gavin Flower as the newest Youth Aviation Scholarship winner. Gavin is a well-rounded and ambitious young man who has attained academic recognition with the National Honors Society in high school, and has also been involved in showing animals in the 4H/FAA. Gavin’s dream is earn a biology degree, and become a fish and wildlife biologist.

 

Congratulations also to the second and third place applicants, Nathan Negoi and Katherine Boger, who will receive a set of pilot training materials and tuition for ground school all provided by a very generous anonymous donor. The remaining applicants will receive an introductory flight lesson courtesy of Northern Air. Thank you to all the applicants and good luck in your future endeavors!

 

This summer has been a record year for Northern Air’s pilot training program. Instructors Nathaniel Cheshire, Carla Dedera and Dave Parker have trained ten new private pilots, four instrument rated pilots, two high performance aircraft pilots, one instrument rated certified flight instructor, and eleven students pilots to their first solo flight.

 

Next year will prove to be even more exciting with the introduction of Northern Air’s “new” 1963 Piper Comanche. The Comanche has been almost completely restored this fall including a totally new interior, new exhaust system and WAAS enabled Garmin 430 GPS navigation and communication system. It will be used to train commercial pilots and to provide complex and high performance aircraft endorsements. It will also be a fun plane for the pilot who wants a little more. With its cruising speed of 180 knots, the Comanche will cost nearly the same per mile as flying the Cessna 172, but will get you there in almost half the time!

 

Call Northern Air for pricing on the Comanche Checkout package or for the Introduction to Mountain Flying course. There is still time to sign up for Private Pilot Ground School that begins January 5. Do you have family flying in to Spokane for the holidays? Call Northern Air for your air taxi charter needs, (208) 267 4359 or visit www.northernair.biz.

 

Happy Holidays from Northern Air and the Boundary County Airport!